Mukesh Kapila
Encyclopedia
Mukesh Kapila CBE
has worked extensively and advised in crisis and conflict management, humanitarian affairs, post-conflict recovery and development, and HIV and AIDS. Kapila is currently Under Secretary General of National Society and Knowledge Development at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC).
, public health
and, subsequently, international development
and humanitarian affairs. He has qualifications from the Universities of Oxford and London.
As a mid-level civil servant in 1994, he was part of the first British teams to see the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide
after entering Rwandan Patriotic Front
-controlled Kigali
.
He was the Deputy Director of the National UK AIDS programme during the 1990s.
He was Head of Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs unit of the British Department for International Development
from 1998 to 2002. From 2002-2003, Kapila was a Special Adviser to the United Nations, first to the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Afghanistan
and then to the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2003-2004 Kapila was the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and the UN Development Program
Resident Representative for the Sudan
.
While stationed in Sudan, he was outspoken in his condemnation of the human rights abuses being committed in the western region of Darfur
. His activism began after a Darfuri woman came to his office to tell him how she, her daughter and 200 other women in the village of Tawilla had been gang-raped
and mostly murdered by government soldiers and paramilitaries. His reports about the Darfur conflict
were at the time dismissed by the Government of Sudan as a "a heap of lies", though they succeeded in bringing Darfur to the attention of the world's media for the first time. Kapila was subsequently transferred out of Sudan in April 2004, only 13 months into a 24 month assignment. Commenting in 2006 on this period, Kapila stated:
Kapila has won several awards for his humanitarian and development work. In 2003, he was honored by Queen Elizabeth II
and named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
for his international service. In 2007 he received the Dr Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award of the Institute for Global Leadership.
He was a Director in the Department of Health Action in Crises of the World Health Organization
(2004 to 2006). An employee of the Government of the United Kingdom
, he was on secondment to the United Nations
. He was an Adviser to the World Bank on climate change issues, has advised the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), and the International Labour Organization. He was the chief executive of PHG Foundation in Cambridge, UK from September 2003 to August 2004.
Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary General for National Society and Knowledge Development, Kapila served as the Special Representative for HIV
and AIDS
, and subsequently as Special Representative to the Secretary General of the IFRC. While at IFRC, Kapila has been instrumental in developing worldwide “global alliances” of the Red Cross Red Crescent such as HIV and disaster risk reduction, where successful scale-up has been achieved. More recently, he has been responsible for formulating Strategy 2020 - the International Federation's vision for the next decade.
He has served as an Advisory Board member of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), and of Minority Rights Group International, and Executive Committee Member of the Alliance for Direct Action against Rape in Conflicts and Crises (AllianceDARC). He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Peace Academy (IPA) and of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination (UNDAC) system.
Dr. Kapila is presently a Senior Member of Hughes Hall College, Cambridge University, UK. He is also an Associate Fellow at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, Manchester University, UK.
Kapila resides in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. He is married with three daughters.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
has worked extensively and advised in crisis and conflict management, humanitarian affairs, post-conflict recovery and development, and HIV and AIDS. Kapila is currently Under Secretary General of National Society and Knowledge Development at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
(IFRC).
Biography
Kapila's background is in medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
and, subsequently, international development
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
and humanitarian affairs. He has qualifications from the Universities of Oxford and London.
As a mid-level civil servant in 1994, he was part of the first British teams to see the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
after entering Rwandan Patriotic Front
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
-controlled Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
.
He was the Deputy Director of the National UK AIDS programme during the 1990s.
He was Head of Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs unit of the British Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
from 1998 to 2002. From 2002-2003, Kapila was a Special Adviser to the United Nations, first to the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and then to the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2003-2004 Kapila was the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and the UN Development Program
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
Resident Representative for the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
While stationed in Sudan, he was outspoken in his condemnation of the human rights abuses being committed in the western region of Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. His activism began after a Darfuri woman came to his office to tell him how she, her daughter and 200 other women in the village of Tawilla had been gang-raped
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and mostly murdered by government soldiers and paramilitaries. His reports about the Darfur conflict
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
were at the time dismissed by the Government of Sudan as a "a heap of lies", though they succeeded in bringing Darfur to the attention of the world's media for the first time. Kapila was subsequently transferred out of Sudan in April 2004, only 13 months into a 24 month assignment. Commenting in 2006 on this period, Kapila stated:
There is debate about whether we had genocideGenocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in Darfur or not, but certainly in my mind, and the mind of many, many people, I think there is very little doubt that what went on in Darfur in 2003 and the early part of 2004 was certainly genocide. We can argue the words, but that would be no consolation to those people who are affected.
So I subsequently went on to speak about it publicly, having tried the various diplomatic routes and avenues, and I soon found myself hauled onto a plane out of KhartoumKhartoumKhartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
. And as I reflected back on it, I thought to myself that there I was presiding over the first genocide of the 21st century – it is a place in history you don’t wish to have.
Kapila has won several awards for his humanitarian and development work. In 2003, he was honored by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for his international service. In 2007 he received the Dr Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award of the Institute for Global Leadership.
He was a Director in the Department of Health Action in Crises of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(2004 to 2006). An employee of the Government of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he was on secondment to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He was an Adviser to the World Bank on climate change issues, has advised the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), and the International Labour Organization. He was the chief executive of PHG Foundation in Cambridge, UK from September 2003 to August 2004.
Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary General for National Society and Knowledge Development, Kapila served as the Special Representative for HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, and subsequently as Special Representative to the Secretary General of the IFRC. While at IFRC, Kapila has been instrumental in developing worldwide “global alliances” of the Red Cross Red Crescent such as HIV and disaster risk reduction, where successful scale-up has been achieved. More recently, he has been responsible for formulating Strategy 2020 - the International Federation's vision for the next decade.
He has served as an Advisory Board member of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), and of Minority Rights Group International, and Executive Committee Member of the Alliance for Direct Action against Rape in Conflicts and Crises (AllianceDARC). He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Peace Academy (IPA) and of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination (UNDAC) system.
Dr. Kapila is presently a Senior Member of Hughes Hall College, Cambridge University, UK. He is also an Associate Fellow at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, Manchester University, UK.
Kapila resides in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. He is married with three daughters.
External links
- SUDAN: Interview with Mukesh Kapila, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, IRINIntegrated Regional Information NetworksIntegrated Regional Information Networks, commonly known as IRIN, acts as a news agency focusing on humanitarian stories in regions that are often forgotten, under-reported, misunderstood or ignored....
, 20 June 2003